


KFC and Strawberry Shortcake

by DrabblingSparks (ingenious_spark)



Series: Saint Seiya prompts & short fic [160]
Category: Saint Seiya
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Cooking, Drabble, Gen, Long Live Feedback Comment Project, Mentors, Prompt Fic, Traditions, holiday fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-15
Updated: 2019-04-15
Packaged: 2020-01-14 14:41:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18478336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ingenious_spark/pseuds/DrabblingSparks
Summary: Shiryû wants to do something for his fellow orphans, and his quest for assistance leads him to the Cancer Palace, of all places. Can the man he once fought nearly to the death really help him?





	KFC and Strawberry Shortcake

**Author's Note:**

> From a batch of prompts I did over on my tumblr, [@oopsbirdficced](http://oopsbirdficced.tumblr.com). This was previously posted in a drabble collection 'Saint Seiya: Snapshots’, that I have chosen to take down and post individually for ease of access. 
> 
> Original author's note: I’ll admit, this was a tough one! I’ve never written this dynamic with these two characters. Good challenge, hope you like it! Also, have a canon-divergent AU, utilizing my personal headcanon that Deathmask/Mephisto was possessed by a demon, and that Saga was possessed by Ares, God of War! Also I can never remember when Shiryû is supposed to be blind and not? So he can see in this. The KFC and strawberry shortcake thing is a real thing they do in Japan, fun fact!  
> (Originally posted 12-9-2017)

Shiryû pauses at the door of the Cancer Palace living quarters, reflecting. He honestly never thought he’d be comfortable around the Cancer Saint, even with his role in removing the demon possessing him. When Deathmask had flung them both into the Praesepe, it had revealed itself somehow to him as the demon it was, parasitically feeding off of the real Cancer Saint, Mephisto.

With the help of the Cancer Cloth, Shiryû had been able to drive the demon out, and he and Mephisto had killed it, before racing against time to stop the other Gold Saints without killing them. They had all been under the brainwashing influence of the God of Conquest- Ares’s- power, amplifying all of their most negative traits, until that oilslick was stripped from their Cosmos. Ares himself had possessed the Gemini Saint, and it had nearly killed the man to get the invading God out of him and out of Sanctuary.

Now Shiryû has a very strange friendship with the Cancer Saint. As though the still abrasive, somewhat awkward, foul-mouthed man considers him a younger brother in need of guidance. He had invited Shiryû over for an early morning workout, and Shiryû had accepted, though he still isn’t sure why. Apparently early morning, in Mephisto’s parlance, means before the sun has even risen, though, because that’s when Shiryû had received an extremely startling telepathic wake-up call.

He knocks, and the door creaks open creepily. Even though Cancer has been exorcised and purified, the fact that the living quarters of all of the Zodiac Palaces are apparently semi-psychic pocket dimensions freaks him out. He goes in, looking around for Mephisto, leaning his umbrella in the entryway, the winter rain coming down hard outside.

“Kitchen!” He calls, and Shiryû peers in.

“You’re covered in flour,” he observes, bewildered. The Cancer Saint glances up, eyebrow raised, before putting the lump of dough he was just kneading into a mixing bowl and covering it with a kitchen towel.

“That happens when you make bread, yes.” Mephisto agrees, somewhat sarcastically as he cleans up. Shiryû sighs slightly.

“I didn’t know you could bake.” He tries instead, an idea coming to mind. Mephisto hangs up his floury apron, wearing workout clothes beneath.

“There are lots of things you don’t know about me, kiddo.” He jibes back, and Shiryû can’t resist rolling his eyes. It’s disrespectful, which grates at his nerves, but Mephisto seems to take joy in getting him to be disrespectful. It goes against everything Rôshi taught him, but the part of him that’s still just a thirteen year old boy thrills at it.

“Ah yes, you’re full of mystery.” Shiryû mutters. “Are we exercising, then, or not?” He asks more loudly. Mephisto nods.

“Jogging laps up and down the hill. I want to see how your stamina is.” He orders, and Shiryû wilts a bit, braiding his hair quickly.

“It’s raining,” he mutters, not quite whining. Mephisto raises an eyebrow.

“Does it look like I give a shit? Get moving, kiddo, or I’ll start getting inventive.”

They run, and it’s moderately awful, but an admittedly good workout, running up and down the stairs in the pouring rain. Once Mephisto is satisfied and Shiryû is exhausted, they go back to Cancer, where Mephisto is kind enough to lend him some clothes and let him use his shower while he puts bread in the over and wet clothes through the washer and dryer. Then he generously feeds Shiryû a bizarrely fantastic breakfast, and makes him drink coffee, of all things. He makes it sweet and milky, calls it a caffelatte. Shiryû discovers not all coffee is horrible.

“Mephisto?” He asks, once he’s down to a piece of bread and butter, and his hunger is mostly sated. Mephisto grunts in acknowledgment. “Will you teach me how to bake? The winter holidays are coming up, and I’d like to give my friends something sweet for Christmas.” He says. Mephisto raises a barely-visible white eyebrow.

“You’re Japanese, thought you’d be Buddhist or Shinto or what the fuck ever. Whatcha doing celebrating fuckin’ Christmas?” He asks, but he hasn’t said no yet. Shiryû shrugs.

“I don’t know, it’s a cultural thing, if I remember right. We used to get KFC and strawberry shortcake.” He replies, trying to recall if they’d ever done anything else. Mephisto looks thoroughly incredulous.

“Oookay then.” He drawls. Shiryû shrugs. He’s not sure why either, he is actually Buddhist. “Okay, kiddo, I’ll do you one better. I’ll teach you how to and help you make actually good fried chicken and strawberry shortcake for Christmas, for all your little friends. But you keep up running with me, okay?” He says, looking weirdly serious. Shiryû contemplates feeling this exhausted every morning, and consoles himself that he’ll probably work up his stamina really fast like this.

“Deal.” He nods sharply.

“I gotta ask, though. Fried chicken and strawberry shortcake?” Mephisto looks genuinely confused.

“I don’t know why. It’s just traditional.” Shiryû shrugs vaguely.

“You’re all bizarre.”

“No weirder than you.”

**Author's Note:**

> This story is part of the LLF Comment Project, which was created to improve communication between readers and authors. This author invites and appreciates feedback, including:
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